


Just Desserts

by Nanayon



Category: Kagerou Project, Mekakucity Actors
Genre: Gen, Kagebros Secret Santa 2020, Mentions of death and other sad canon events, POV First Person, post-STR
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-22
Updated: 2020-12-22
Packaged: 2021-03-10 18:47:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,028
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28241880
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Nanayon/pseuds/Nanayon
Summary: When Shintaro promised to experience happier memories for Yaki's sake, he didn't expect that to include going out to eat a parfait alongside Hiyori. And yet, that is exactly what he is doing right now.
Relationships: Kisaragi Shintaro & Asahina Hiyori, Kisaragi Shintaro & Snake of Retaining Eyes
Comments: 2
Kudos: 9





	Just Desserts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hopealop3](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopealop3/gifts).



> Merry Christmas, Hope, I'm your Secret Santa! You had, among your preference list prompts, stuff like Shintaro and Yaki interactions, and Shintaro and Hiyori sibling like bonding, so I combined those in a single fic. Hope you enjoy it!

“C’mooooon, you’re too slow, Shintaro-san! What would Momo-san think if she saw you like this?!”

“That I am _*huff*_ out of shape and intolerant to _*puff*_ the street heat, as she already knows _*aarf*_ very well.”

“And you admit that in such a straightforward manner? Gross.”

And you are being very inconsiderate towards the guy who offered to take you to a cafe and pay all the expenses for you, Hiyori-chan! ...Seriously, this is so out of character for my long crafted hikiNEET persona!

_“Hey, this is for a good cause, remember?”_

...Right. I’m doing this for your sake, Yaki. Of course I remember how I got into this situation……

* * *

_The previous day…_

“You… want me to eat a parfait?”

_“Yes. Was I not clear the first time?”_

“U-Uh, it’s not really a matter of clarity, but…”

Such was how Yaki suddenly brought the subject while I was playing an online match of Overwatch with Haruka-senpai and the others.

_“Shintaro-kun? Why are you talking about parfaits? You’re making me feel hungry~.”_

“A-Ah, nothing! Uh, M-Momo entered here, you see!”

Right, I should shift to mental talking. Although my Eye Ability isn’t a secret to the other folks in the Mekakushi Dan, having to shift between talking to people who exist physically by my side and the snake that only I can perceive can be jarring to outsiders if I externalize my thoughts like that.

_“I’m actually a fan of those, you see. And it’s been more than thirty lives since the last time you ate one.”_

_(That’s because I’m not a big fan of sweets, as you know well. It was rather unexpected, all things considered, that I ended up loving soda as much as I do.)_

_“Indeed. But still… Hmmmmm……”_

_(...What’s it?)_

_“Remember when we first had a conversation after you went home from Saeru’s laboratory? You promised me… that you would grant me happy memories to compensate for everything I had to witness for your sake.”_

_(Ah………….)_

That’s right… When I finally had the time to sit down and breathe, I got to process all the memories that I came to experience besides what was immediately needed to stop that stupid snake once and for all. At some point I came to realize… Yaki’s true nature and everything that she had to endure ever since she became my power.

If I’m honest with myself, my opinion of Yaki isn’t 100% positive. There have been lives of mine where she was a rather assholish presence, ranging from stoically showing me flashes of horrible deaths the others and I endured, to downright mocking me for my incompetence at stopping the Tragedy from occurring.

And yet… when I think about her beyond just the immediate scope of those specific dreams, post death meetings or ill timed activations, I’m forced to admit that, if anyone could claim to have suffered the most across all the loops we went through, it was likely Yaki. If I end up like the physical embodiment of a mess just by remembering one life’s worth of trauma, it’s no wonder that she, who experienced all of my messy lives all by herself, wouldn’t be a paragon of positivity and wisdom all the time.

Hell, she even thought that she was going to fucking DISAPPEAR once the cycle was broken!! That’s like, hella messed up! I couldn’t, by any degree of remaining decency in me, let her have endured literal hell for so long, only for her to be deprived of anything resembling a happy ending once we finally got it! Which is why, for the sake of not having her disappear on me that easily, I came up with a new wish that she could fulfill:

**I wished that I could remember all the happy times I’d have with my friends from now on.**

...Sometimes, I’m afraid that I should have let Yaki rest in peace, instead of forcing her to retain her sentience for even longer. Perhaps anything that I could possibly try to make her feel at least satisfied with the world she helped to create would never be enough to heal her. But so far, she has never expressed a clear death wish.

Instead, she just gives me the occasional request like this one. Which, now that I think about it, and knowing the person she used to be before ending up in my head, makes sense. Which is why I end up loudly sighing after her words.

_(...Fine. I’ll look for a place where I can eat a delicious parfait for your sake.)_

_“...Thank you.”_

I can definitely feel the way that Yaki smiles at that response. Gosh, just hearing that voice of hers, even if it doesn’t belong to the human I usually associate said voice with, with that much joy in its tone makes me blush considerably. Thank goodness my camera isn’t turned on-

_“Shintaro-kun, look out!”_

“Huh?! FUCK!!”

Speaking of said human, Ayano gives me a warning, but it’s too late. Looks like my inner monologuing with Yaki distracted me enough that I was jumped at and headshotted by Takane-senpai. Uuuuuuuurgh...

_“Haha, take that, ‘Perfect Memory’-san!!”_

Takane-senpai celebrates their kill by spamming that one Ene emoji that I’m pretty sure they hacked their account by using Opening Eyes for the sake of being able to use. Aaaargh, yet another stain on my K/D statistics…

_“Hehehehehe…”_

_(Don’t laugh, Yaki. This is your fault.)_

* * *

Of course, the problem with going to a cafe for the sake of eating a parfait is that, well, who the hell goes to one of those alone? Places like those are always associated with either familial outings, friend gatherings or romantic dates. Can you imagine how much of a fucking loser I’d look like if I stepped on a place like that all by my scruffy self?! If anyone in the Dan came to learn of it, I’d never be able to live that down!!

Which meant, for the sake of attending to Yaki’s desire, I’d need a partner in crime. Obviously most folks here don’t have their snakes talking to them, which means that they should come with me under either the promise of delicious treats or the promise of my company.

Clearly, I’d have an easier time with the former argument.

The relation of who I could call to accompany me was quickly reduced, either by lack of availability or by me being too embarrassed to invite them. (I’m never again inviting Kano to accompany me to a cafe all by ourselves after the “toilet paper” incident from a hundred lives ago.) And thus, I was soon enough faced with the one remaining person being…

...Hiyori Asahina.

Of all people, I ended up stuck with a young girl with whom I don’t have the least bit degree of intimacy with! ...Well, I guess that is not completely true, technically. There have been lives where we ended up bonding noticeably, due to circumstances, be it in the real world or in the Kagerou Daze, kind of like in a similar fashion to Hibiya-kun and Momo’s relationship. So it’s not like, from my point of view, I know absolutely nothing about the girl.

But from this world’s Hiyori-chan’s perspective? I might as well just be the weirdest of weirdos among the Mekakushi Dan members! I may not be a complete loner anymore, but that doesn’t mean that I’m a well of extroversion like Momo is! Most of the time I spend on the hideout, I check my phone for stuff on social media, news sites or Nico Nico, and I rarely start conversations by myself.

Sure, I can easily recall anything that I hear on the periphery even if I was not paying attention to it with my power, so it’s not like I’m a complete fish out of water if I’m forced into a conversation out of nowhere, but… That same power also kind of alienates me from certain sorts of perspectives normal people have.

I get it, to be honest. Even if everyone here has experienced death once, they sure as hell haven’t experienced as many times as I did. And that is just the tip of the iceberg regarding that stuff. To be honest, I haven’t really had the opportunity to process everything that Retaining Eyes implicates to my mentality yet, but I can at least tell that I’ve earned a few strange looks from the others because of it.

And now I’m going on a quest for fancy ice cream because of said power. Life sure is strange.

Anyway, this was all to say that, when I offered to take Hiyori-chan to a cafe the next day, she quickly scrutinized me with a glare that I’m pretty sure could force even the most muscle bound mountains to their knees. I couldn’t avoid but to flinch.

“...What’s the deal here? Is this part of some ploy by Hibiya to do something embarrassing?”

“W-What? No, no, h-he has nothing to do with it!!”

Which was 100% true. He was another person that I deemed too embarrassing to invite for this. My already low sense of dignity completely wilts whenever I remember the Starbucks incident…

Still, this was a problem. Hiyori-chan was my final hope to get this plan to work, so I had to convince her somehow! C’mon, Shintaro, think of something!!

“Er, uhhh… This was… Momo’s idea! Yeah!”

“Oh?” Her demeanor suddenly brightened. Score! “So Momo-san will accompany us at this?!”

“Well, she would LOVE to, but she will have to handle a photo shoot tomorrow, so she sadly can’t come.” At least that latter part is true. “But she was so sad that you wouldn’t be able to enjoy a city cafe the best way possible if you went alone, so she asked me to be your company!”

I quickly saw some of her enthusiasm deflate a bit at that. Perhaps I should try improving my image a little bit, after all.

“...It’s Momo-san’s idea. She must know what she is doing.” Hiyori-chan remarks, then sighs. “Alright. We can go together. BUT!” She points a ‘sharp’ finger towards my face. “Don’t you dare to embarrass me in public, you hear me, Shintaro-san?!”

I gulp. “O-O-Of course! I’ll be an exemplary example of a functional human being!!”

 _“What a peculiar demonstration of your vocabulary.”_ Yaki says while giggling.

_(I-I’m doing my best here!!)_

Well, with this settled, I went to tell Momo about it. The money I’d be using to pay for this outing would come from her, after all, so it was impossible for me to make this a secret from her. I swear that I will get a job soon!!!

* * *

Why the fuck is it this hot today? This is spring break, we are still months away from the height of summer! The cherry blossoms will be fried alive like this!! And so will I!! It would honestly not surprise me if Hiyori-chan came to hate spring alongside summer too, at this rate. I share the feeling.

...I’m honestly surprised that Hiyori-chan and Hibiya-kun managed to come to the city once again this soon after winter break. Hehe, Hibiya-kun might put up a front that he is “too mature” for the Mekakushi Dan, but it’s clear that he enjoys the folks’ company behind his grumpy demeanor. I was the same in several lives of mine, so it’s easy for me to read him.

But the current situation is with Hiyori-chan, not Hibiya. She is far more open about enjoying the Dan’s company, even if she sometimes keeps staring at Haruka as if she hoped that he would turn back into Konoha anytime soon. …...Sorry to say, Hiyori-chan, but it’s not that simple. That is a conundrum that not even I have an answer for. Just like I don’t have an answer on how to make this stupid sun stop scorching me!

“You know, you could just take that jacket of yours off.”

...Correction, an answer that I’m actually willing to follow. Might be stupid of me, but at Hiyori-chan’s comment, I simply huffed and tightened my grip into the jacket. I’m not letting go of it. I look good in it, after all.

That’s okay. As sweaty and smelly as I may have ended up on our way here, once we stepped into the cafe, the gentle breeze of the air conditioner dissipated all of my woes and pains. Aaaaaah, if only they came up with a way to have a giant air conditioner to cool down the whole world at a pleasant temperature all year long…

_“Shintaro, feeling the air conditioner is nice, but that is not the experience you came here for.”_

Oh, right. I should pick a table for the two of us-

“Here, this place. I want to have an optimal view of the window while being able to check on the TV. And of course, at this area, we shouldn’t have to wait on the waiters for too long.”

Oooooor I could let Hiyori-chan handle that. She is clearly more in her element here than I’d ever dream of being.

...I can feel the people looking at me. Even if they aren’t actually doing it, just the impression that they might be doing so makes me wanna crawl on a hole and hide forever. I _detest_ going out like this. Why couldn’t parfaits be the sort of treat that can survive a delivery triiiiip….?

_“......I get if this is too much for you-”_

_(-So just as I was saying, I’m gonna have WONDERFUL afternoon and have LOTS of fun alongside Hiyori-chan, and this day is gonna be great!!)_

_“Hihihi, you can sure be a tryhard when you want. But do be respectful of your boundaries, ok?”_

_(I’ll do my best.)_

“Heeeeey, Shintaro-san? You should pick your order before the waiter passes by here!”

Ah, right! My order! I’m not particularly hungry, and looking through the menu, they don’t really have any noticeable savory options here, so I should go straight for the parfait options. Lemme see, what we got here…

...What the hell is this? You can like, come up with your own parfait combo here? Different layers of ice cream, plus different syrups and toppings under and over each layer, plus decorative stuff on top, and you get like, seven different options for each of the six layers available! Multiply everything, and you get a total of 117649 possible parfait arrangements!!

How the hell can people just casually choose what arrangement they want when confronted with such an enormous number of possibilities?! Surely they realize that each combination may bring forth extremely different taste experiences that may please them in different ways, right? Even someone not super into sweets like I am can figure that out!

I guess that all of my inner grumbling over this conundrum must have been audible to Hiyori-chan, because as I looked into the menu, she stretched her body towards my side of the table and lowered the menu down with a hand.

“Hm, you wanna eat a parfait? That’s funny. I thought you would ask for something boring like soda.”

Well, that IS what I usually ask for. Is it really that boring to ask for soda in a restaurant?

“Y-Yeah, they, uh… look tasty here.”

“Hehe, they sure are!” She replies with joy in her tone. “But I got to eat one last time I came to the city, so today I’m going with a petit gateau.”

I grumble some more. I guess that I could maybe ask her for her parfait recommendation. ...But wouldn’t that run under the risk of demoralizing her opinion of me even more than it already is? Like, I’m almost an adult, and for an almost-adult to ask a child what dessert they should eat is pretty ‘childish’, no? Wouldn’t it be the child that asks for the adult’s opinion usually? Uuuuugh, why is dealing with dilemmas like this so haaaard?

...Wait, what am I doing? Why are you taking such a defeatist attitude, Shintaro? You’ve faced far worse conundrums than deciding what parfait arrangement you’re going with! If it’s for the sake of making a friend of yours happy, you should be ready to throw your dignity out of the window!!

I pressed my hands on the table (perhaps a bit too strongly), before pulling up the best smile I could in my face.

“H-Hiyori-chan… W-What do you suggest I put on my parfait? Pretty please?”

She looked at me as if I were a monster coming out of a swamp. “Please, stop contorting your face like that. That is as bad as Hibiya’s pleading face.”

Welp, I tried. I returned to my usual demeanor, ready to accept defeat at this strategy…

“Thank you. Now, I can see that you’re clearly inept when it comes to the delicate intricacies of sweets, so perhaps I should give you a suggestion so that you don’t kill the waiter out of boredom.”

...Hiyori-chan, you are right now a blessed angel and one of the kindest people I’ve ever met in my life.

And so, I ended up asking for a parfait composed of layers of chocolate syrup, strawberries, vanilla ice cream and other details that would all end up mixed in my mouth anyway. Hiyori-chan handled our orders, much to my relief. This whole thing was already very stressful to me.

...Of course, now you have that mortifyingly silent time where we wait for our treats to come. Just Hiyori-chan and I, sitting across each other, without really anything that I could think of as a good conversation hook. That is, if she even wants to chat with me to begin with. How come I have more of an easy time talking to people when lives are at risk compared to casual scenarios?

 _“In that case…”_ Yaki suddenly pops up in my ears. _“Perhaps you could bring up something that could be related to a life threatening possibility? I know that you have had one thing in mind regarding Hiyori lately that would fit that description.”_

_(...THAT topic? For real? Of all possible things that I could use as an ice breaker here?!)_

_“Well, it’s either that or Hiyori probably getting to insult you over making her feel bored. Must I remind you of what happened in that one world-”_

_(NO! I-I remember that well enough, thank you very much!)_

...I mean, thinking about it, that IS something that I’d have to check with her sooner or later. I don’t want our “happy ending” to be destroyed by an apparently inconsequential calculation error from my part.

I clear my throat. “S-So! Hiyori-chan…”

Hiyori-chan, who was checking her cell phone, looks up and faces me. “Uh? What’s it?”

“Hmmmm…” How to start this… “Say, I’ve been thinking here. Ever since… _that day_ last year… You know, when we all returned from the Kagerou Daze?”

“...Yeah, I remember that very well.” She replies, while averting her gaze. It doesn’t surprise me that she’d react like that. It’s not something that anyone in the Dan talks casually about, after all. “What about it? I’d rather not sour my mouth before my treat.”

_(See? This might end badly!)_

_“Or it might be that this is already a worry on her mind, and you showing worry about it may soothe her in a way that she is not even expecting. ...Think about it like this. Remember how Hiyori tends to refer to older guys she doesn’t know the name of yet as ‘Nii-san’?”_

_(Yeah?)_

_“Well, what if she got to use that back with you? Don’t you like the sound of that… Shintaro-nii-san?”_

_(Huh………..)_

“Helloooo? Earth to Shint-”

“I’m sorry if I end up spoiling this visit, but…” I stare at Hiyori-chan’s eyes with a serious expression, the nervousness previously in my expression suddenly gone. “I need to ask you something in regards to that. Do you understand?”

“-Eh?!”

Unsurprisingly, Hiyori-chan looked at me with apprehension in response. I hope she’ll forgive me for my lack of delicacy here later.

I can feel my eyes starting to glow red. “You remember… How exactly it was made possible for you to return from the Daze, don’t you?”

“W-Well… kind of?”

Her words convey doubt, but I can tell from her expression that she understands exactly what I mean. She has always been very smart. I’m pretty sure that if Hiyori got to witness _that scene_ , then she knows what happened to those two.

I sigh in relief. I’ll thankfully not have to dredge that traumatic memory from her.

“Right. So, ever since that day, have you ever experienced something like… memory lapses? Or as if a voice spoke in your mind? _Hissed_ , even?”

“H-Hiss? What do you- _Oh._ ”

Hiyori-chan puts her phone back in her purse, then returns the stare that I was giving her. ...No. Perhaps it is more correct to say that hers was a glare.

“You mean… the ‘Saeru’ snake that Ayano-san told me about while we were in the Daze, right? I get it now… You are worried that it could reemerge inside of me, no?”

I nod at her with a forlorn look. “That’s right.”

For the sake of stopping Saeru once and for all, I had to come up with a plan that involved cutting short its main source of sustenance: wishes. It was a good thing that visiting the Daze allowed me lots of time to not only scour my memories in detail, but also to check my idea with Ayano, Haruka and the others stuck in that world.

Together, we eventually came to the conclusion that there was one possibility allowing for both Saeru losing sentience and someone benefiting from its presence as a life force: Hiyori-chan. Everyone else that was stuck in that world had more complex wishes that could still be exploited by that bastard, but Hiyori-chan… all she wanted was to live. And it would be relatively easy to make Saeru go to her. Her wellbeing was… Konoha’s final wish, after all.

_“...I know what you’re thinking. It’s not your fault that Konoha sacrificed himself, ok? He was happy to see his friends happy… I believe as such.”_

_(I know you also miss him, Yaki. That’s alright.)_

_“...........”_

In any case, the point is, when you think about it, the reason Hiyori-chan’s biggest wish was something as simple as ‘wanting to live’ was most likely because she is still a child. Hiyori-chan will eventually grow up, however, and experience many more events in her life, learn many more facts, want many more things, fear many more dangers. It’s highly possible that, as she goes through all of that, she changes as a person and comes to wish for something else that Saeru may come to feed on.

So how about that? Have I doomed the Mekakushi Dan to being killed eventually anyway? Have I doomed Hiyori-chan to a life where she can never deeply strive for anything, lest she risks being turned into a murder tool? This is the sort of decision that, I feel, only someone with the sort of perspective from many lives that I have would be willing to make. And it eats me on the inside that Hiyori-chan has to endure such a potential burden.

And although her memories from her time in the Daze aren’t as crystal clear as mine, I think that Hiyori-chan is at least partially aware of that burden herself, to some degree. Back when we were discussing this plan, she was so adamant into being its host, as optimistic and certain of that decision as she usually is. However, it’s been months since that happened. I can imagine that she might have had thoughts about it…

She is probably having such thoughts right now, considering the way she lowered her head after my affirmation. Then...

“...200 g of dark chocolate.”

Eh?

“H-Hiyori-chan? What does that-”

“2 spoons of butter. ¼ of a teacup of sugar. 2 tablespoons of wheat flour. 2 eggs, with the yolk separated from the white.”

_“That list… I’m pretty sure those are the ingredients needed for one to make a petit gateau. You’ve watched a video with such a recipe for Ayano’s sake once.”_

What Yaki said made sense. However, as Hiyori-chan kept on describing the steps in detail, I felt a sense of foreboding fall over me. How the hell does _she_ know all of this from memory?

But then, I got it. As she lifted her head to look at me...

“-Preheat the oven, then put the molds inside of it for 6 to 10 minutes. The cakes must grow, but make sure that the middle part is still soft.”

**Her eyes glowed shiny red.**

“Y-YOU!!” I stood up at great speed, then proceeded to grab Hiyori-chan’s wrist. “W-What the hell do you think you are doing, showing your ugly face again here-”

“Hey, it’s still me, Shintaro-san! Calm down!!”

...What?

“I-I’m just showing you what I’ve gotten in terms of my Eye Ability so far!! The guy I got is about knowledge, right? Well, I’ve noticed that, ever since that day, I sometimes get sudden dumps of information regarding stuff from school subjects, to money management, to natural life and other random factoids. I’ve been testing it and, if I focus well enough, I can direct the information I get to a specific topic. And since I asked for a petit gateau, it was simply in my mind.”

I slowly returned to my seat after that outburst of mine. This…

_“...Color me surprised. I didn’t expect that Clearing Eyes, of all things, could ever behave like your typical Eye Ability.”_

_(Right? Still… Why would Saeru even care about a petit gateau recipe?)_

* * *

_“Hm? What are you doing, Ayano?”_

_“I’m preparing a petit gateau for my dad! It’s gonna be his birthday soon, and I want him to enjoy his favorite treat to celebrate!”_

_“Right… I’m guessing that you’re using the school EC room for that because you want it to be a surprise, right?”_

_“Hehe… Knowing my siblings, they might end up eating it before dad gets a chance if I make it at home.”_

_“Uhhhh… Does making those involve this smell of smoke?”_

_“UWAAAAAAH!! I-I left it in the oven for too long!!”_

_“Yeeesh… I feel like you could use some help with cleaning that mess, or the director will kill you.”_

_“Pleeeeease?!”_

_“In the meantime, you should probably follow a recipe like this one. Make sure you don’t ignore the correct amount of time in the oven this turn, dummy.”_

_“Aaaah, thank you, Shintaro-kun!”_

* * *

...Hah. What a joke. You’re telling me that the bastard actually _cared_ about Tateyama-san in any way, shape or form? What an absurd thought. Not even Yaki has a comment about it! And yet…

Ah, I’m overthinking again. I should focus back on the present.

Just to confirm that she was indeed herself, Hiyori-chan made her eyes return to their natural black color. And alongside that, mine came back to normal as well.

“I’ve actually seen a few glimpses of other factoids about you folks as well. Like the fact that, apparently, you used to use Axe spray deodorant in one of your lives. That’s nasty.”

NOOOOO!! My dark past, exposed like that!!

_“She sure got you there, Shintaro. Seriously, why?”_

“A-Ahahahaha!! H-How curious, Hiyori-chan! Now, y-you promise that you won’t tell anyone else about that, please?”

_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!_

“One parfait and one petit gateau, correct?”

Oh, thank goodness!! This conversation was already getting way too stressful, with two women questioning my poor past life decisions!

Hiyori-chan begins eating her treat with voracity, while I go for a slower approach, admittedly. Just as I expected, this thing is so sweet that it pains me sometimes. But I must stand strong and face this sugary tower. This is for Yaki, this is for Yaki…

“Hope you don’t mind if I serve myself with an extra bit~!”

“What the- hey! My strawberry!”

“What are you making that face for? You are not even enjoying your thing that much! Might as well let it be eaten by someone who will actually appreciate the delicate balance of sweetness there.”

“Oh, yeah? I’ll show you who can enjoy sweets!!”

This might end up giving me a stomachache later, but I proceeded to eat the parfait much faster than before! However, I didn’t really prevent Hiyori-chan from stealing a few spoons of it. Her petit gateau was much smaller, after all. And it’s nice seeing her mood brighten a bit more with the sweetness after that previous conversation topic.

...Speaking of which, perhaps I should give a better resolution to it. Once we are both done with our dishes, I extend a hand of mine to hold hers.

“I’m glad that ‘power’ of yours isn’t bothering you right now, Hiyori-chan. But, if it ever does… the Mekakushi Dan will be there for you to talk to, ok? Even if something really bad comes on your way, you don’t have to face it all by yourself.”

Hiyori-chan blinked at me while looking surprised. “You know… I was sure not expecting you all of people to demonstrate any semblance of reliability.”

Ouch! That stings!

“...But this is not unwelcome.” She continues, smiling at me. “It’s… nice to have other people to talk about… _everything_ that happened recently besides Hibiya. He still has some maturing to do before I can really trust him with some stuff. ...Who knows? Perhaps he might end up like you.”

...I have no idea whether that was meant as a compliment or an insult.

_“You have done lots of work to try maturing the past few months yourself, Shintaro. I think you can see that comment in a positive light~.”_

_(Thank you, Yaki. I still have a long way to go, though.)_

“Alright…” I stand up from my seat after paying the bill. “Let’s get back to the hideout, then?”

“Sounds good to me.” Hiyori-chan nods. “It was nice… Shintaro-san. I could do this again eventually.”

_“I too enjoyed today. Perhaps we could come back for you to try different parfait combinations. Please?”_

“Right… Doing this again…… Maybe.”

Perhaps when it’s winter, though.


End file.
